Alexander Cameron (tramways administrator)
Alexander Cameron | |
---|---|
South Yarra, Victoria | |
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation(s) | Lawyer local councillor tramways administrator |
Alexander Cameron (5 August 1864 – 23 February 1940) was a lawyer, local councillor, and tramways administrator. Following university education he established a legal practice, and later ran for, and won, election on
Early life
Alexander Cameron was born on 5 August 1864, along with a twin brother, on a sheep station near
Cameron married Mary Wright on 29 June 1892 in the Toorak Presbyterian Church, with the two subsequently living in Malvern. The two had a son who died in infancy.[1]
Town of Malvern
Cameron's candidature for
Prahran and Malvern Tramways Trust
Cameron was selected to be the inaugural chairman of the PMTT in March 1908 when meetings of Prahran Council and Malvern Council, on the recommendation of Malvern Council, carried a motion supporting his appointment.[1][2][6] To become chairman he resigned his seat on Malvern council.[7] Cameron's tenure was extended by unanimous vote of the PMTT's municipalities in February 1914.[8]
Construction was authorised in July 1908,
Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board
In 1919 the
The MMTB was enlarged on 2 February 1920 when it absorbed the PMTT, Hawthorn Tramway Trust, Melbourne, Brunswick and Coburg Tramways Trust, Northcote Municipality Cable Tramways, and the Fitzroy, Northcote & Preston Tramways Trust and Footscray Tramway Trust which were both under construction, but not yet operational.[11] The North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company was later acquired by the Victorian Government, with the tramway component transferred to the MMTB on 21 December 1922,[11] bringing all Melbourne's tram systems, except the Victorian Railways' trams, under the control of the MMTB.[2][11] These disparate systems had all been constructed with varying standards and were not interconnected, under Cameron, the MMTB began uniting the system.[1][11]
Cameron travelled to continental Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States in March 1923, investigating foreign operating procedures and innovations.
Under Cameron, the MMTB soon opened the Fitzroy, Northcote & Preston Tramways Trust and Footscray Tramway Trust lines,[2] constructed a new link connecting the northern electric lines, built the Preston Workshops, and commenced construction of the now iconic W class trams.[18] Conversion of the cable tram system was started in 1924,[18] with most converted by the 1930s, although the depression slowed the rate of conversions, and last lines were finally closed in 1940.[19] Administratively, the entire tram system was running as a single entity by 1925.[20] Cameron also fostered development of Wattle Park, which had been inherited from Hawthorn Tramways Trust, expanding the park's facilities.[21]
Cameron's tenacity and leadership capabilities saw the MMTB massively expand, while remaining financially profitable. Twenty routes were either opened or extended under Cameron,[22] and he is credited with building tram lines in largely unpopulated areas where future development was anticipated, creating a network that "thickly populated" Melbourne's suburbs.[23] He vertically integrated the MMTB, bringing tramcar construction and maintenance, and tramway construction in-house.[2] This astute management saw the MMTB have balanced books, with the exception of the first four years, with large amounts made available for infrastructure investment.[2] He was sometimes, however, somewhat risky with financial decisions, opting to rely heavily on debt spending.[2]
Notwithstanding Cameron's preference for trams over buses, impassioned defence of trams' economic advantage over buses,[24] and feelings that buses could not provide the same level of service as trams, he still saw them as useful for cross city routes and connecting to existing tram termini[25] and the MMTB commenced operation of bus services on 3 January 1925.[10][22] The first route competed with a private operator, with Cameron stating it would match price and travel time of the existing operator.[26] Buses were also used as replacements for cable trams while they were being converted to electric traction, with the fleet quickly growing to 56 buses by mid-1926.[10] However, by 1931 the MMTB ran almost no bus services, operating solely a tourist bus from 1932 to 1934, with the MMTB recommencing major bus operations in 1935/36 with the conversion of Elizabeth Street's cable trams and permits for new services being issued.[27]
Cameron's five-year term as chairman of the MMTB was repeatedly extended, postponing a review of the boards structure.[1][11] On 18 December 1935 the Victorian Government announced Cameron's retirement, with Cameron not being notified, instead reading of the decision in the newspaper.[1][11] This move was objected to by other members of the board, who "protested at the grave discourtesy shown to him" and "paid tribute to him when he chaired his last meeting on 19 December."[1] He was succeeded by Hector Hercules Bell who had been on the MMTB board since inception in 1919, and deputy chairman since July 1935.[28][29]
Legacy
Cameron has been praised for his involvement in both the PMTT and MMTB, and in tramway development in Melbourne more generally. Following his appointment to the chair of the MMTB, he was reported in 1920 to have had "special knowledge and great abilities" which made him "the only one man in sight" for appointment as chair of the PMTT, and that for the position of MMTB Chair "there was no hesitation in appointing Mr Cameron. It was his right by the qualities of administration he had shown."[30] Cameron has been referred to as "the Board's first chairman who was regarded as the father of the electric tramways in Melbourne"[21] and the "one person who should be awarded the credit for the creation and development of Melbourne's electric tramway system".[1] Brunswick tram depot, which was built in 1935, has an adjacent street named Cameron Street in his honour.[1]
Personal life
Cameron was a member of multiple organisations, including the Institute of Transport, London, the Clan Cameron Association of Victoria (of which he was president),
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Thomson, Kathleen (1979). "Cameron, Alexander (1864–1940)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Jones, Russell (2009). "Alex Cameron: father of Melbourne's electric trams". Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ "Malvern Municipal Elections". Prahran Chronicle. 5 July 1902. Retrieved 12 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Town of Malvern: Annual election-South Ward". Prahran Chronicle. 30 August 1902. Retrieved 12 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c d e f Jones, Russell (2008). "Steady as she goes: the Prahran & Malvern Tramways Trust". Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ "Prahran & Malvern Tramway: Chairman of Trust". Malvern Standard. 14 March 1908. Retrieved 12 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "MUNICIPAL ELECTION". The Argus. 3 April 1908. Retrieved 12 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Electric Trams". Brighton Southern Cross. 14 February 1914. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "MALVERN TRAMWAY". The Argus. 7 July 1908. Retrieved 12 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c Kings, KS (December 1979). "60 years of the M&MTB" (PDF). Trolley Wire (185): 12–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Agency VA 2694 Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board". Public Record Office Victoria. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ a b "PRAHRAN-MALVERN TRAMWAYS TRUST". Prahran Telegraph. 25 October 1919. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PERSONAL". The Prahran Telegraph. 1 November 1919. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PERSONAL". The Advertiser. 24 February 1940. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "TRAMWAY DEVELOPMENT". The Argus. 2 February 1923. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "COLLINS STREET TRAMS". The Argus. 5 October 1928. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "NOISY TRAMS DISTURB CHURCH-GOERS". The Argus. 11 August 1934. Retrieved 13 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Jones, Russell (2004). "Fares please! An economic history of the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board: Roaring Twenties". Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Trams in Melbourne". Yarra Trams. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ Jones, Russell (2004). "Fares please! An economic history of the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board: Seven plus one". Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Wattle Park Complex". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ a b Jones, Russel (2006). "The Economic History of the M&MTB: How trams survived in Melbourne" (PDF). COTMA. COTMA Conference – Melbourne – November 2006 Celebrating 100 years of electric trams in Melbourne. p. 18. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ "TRAMWAYS BOARD". The Argus. 19 December 1935. Retrieved 15 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mr. Cameron in Defence of his Trams". The Argus. 20 July 1934. Retrieved 15 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS". The Argus. 30 April 1925. Retrieved 15 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "TRAMWAYS MOTOR-'BUSES". The Argus. 1 January 1925. Retrieved 15 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Kings, KS (February 1980). "60 years of the M&MTB" (PDF). Trolley Wire (186): 16, 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ Jones, Russell (2008). "Hector Hercules Bell – ringing in the new". Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ McCalman, Janet (1993). "Bell, Hector Hercules (1876–1964)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ "PRAHRAN AND MALVERN TRAMWAYS TRUST". The Prahran Telegraph. 22 May 1920. Retrieved 14 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Clan Cameron Association". The Argus. 26 September 1935. Retrieved 15 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
- Bradish, CR (8 March 1928). "Prominent Personalities: Alexander Cameron". Table Talk. Retrieved 14 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia. – A 1928 newspaper biography of Alexander Cameron.